Sunday September 29th, 2013

The exercise:

Write something that has to do with: the highway.

It wasn't really park weather today, so we went to Penticton (with Kat behind the wheel on the way up, as I'm getting rather sick of the drive) to run some errands. We hadn't really planned on looking for it, but we ended up buying Max's first Halloween costume while we were there.

And suddenly I'm looking forward to the last day of October for the first time in years and years...

Mine:

The endless drive,
The distant sky.
An empty tank,
Cars zipping by.

Night coming fast,
Beasts stirring soon;
They'll sharpen claws
Then call the moon.

He's walking now,
No looking back -
A city's glow
His welcome mat.

Feet against road,
A lonesome sound.
He misses home
And softer ground.

But duty called,
He answered yes.
So now he's on
This endless quest.

4 comments:

Greg said...

I reckon it makes sense to alternate the driving duties anyway, but I can imagine you drive to Penticton a lot! I'm looking forward to seeing Max's hallowe'en costume now... though I appreciate that you may not reach this comment until December.
Your poem reminds me of a Stephen King novel (The Stand, I think) with its sense of unendingness, desolation and the hidden enemies. It's very evocative.

The highway
An eagle calls, a lonely sound
adrift among the tops of trees.
A solitary climber manfully
ignores the scratching of his knees.
A rope, stretched taut, between treetops
is a highway in the sky,
and the only way to reach the place
where the lingonberries lie.
The rope stretches with the climber's weight,
the wind pushes at his chest.
He walks the highway, head held up;
on the other side he'll rest.

morganna said...

Something new -- syllabic verse
-------------
The open road ahead
Blacktop stretching to the horizon
Adventure awaits!

Home and comfort behind
Music, fellowship rolling along
Lovely days of us

Together -- the delights
Unknown -- sights to see, pictures to take,
I love a road trip!

Aholiab said...

Just got back from a two-week vacation, so this prompt was quite apropos. However, let me state that, "All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."!

The Highway

It’s been thirty years since I drove down this highway. I glance at my wife who is napping in the passenger seat and change the music to my 70’s channel. She likes more modern stuff, but I’m feeling nostalgic and these songs take me back to those days.

It’s amazing how much has changed over the years. Who would have known that so many little towns would need outlet malls along this freeway? The guy that came up with that idea was a genius. I’ve never found something I needed in one that I couldn’t find online for a lot cheaper, and yet their parking lots are always packed.

I glance in the rearview mirror again and tell myself that I’m not nervous, just watchful. After all, the statutes of limitations all ran out years ago. Well, those that actually could expire, anyway.

I notice a large billboard ahead and smile wryly. Most folks would never have guessed that a struggling Mom-and-Pop mortuary could become such a success, but there it was: “Jamieson and Sons Funeral Home - where we care for you like family”. Gives me a bit of a warm feeling to know that I helped give them their big break.

The thing that I find most unusual is the mountain range that rises up on the west side of the highway. You’d think that I’d remember something like that, but I guess I had other things on my mind back then… like which parking lot to use to dispose of the body in the trunk.

Marc said...

Greg - hey now, it's only October now! That's not so bad... right?

Love the imagery and descriptions in yours. You've definitely snagged my imagination with this place in the trees.

Morganna - ah, you've captured the magic of road trips very well here :)

Aholiab - well then, a slightly delayed welcome back to you!

Wonderfully creepy prose here. Really enjoyed the subtleties you incorporated.